


Path of Love

by AmiMendal



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drabble, F/M, Love Triangles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-21 14:47:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20695301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmiMendal/pseuds/AmiMendal
Summary: Hermione knows what she wants in life, but who is on the path with her?





	Path of Love

Hermione wished it was raining; she wanted the outside of her home to reflect the inside of her heart. The emotional turmoil within couldn't be seen in her face or the weather, as the sunniest day of the year stared at her through the panes of glass. She begged for just the smallest cloud to shroud the cheerful sun, but settled for throwing the curtains closed instead.

It was difficult a position she found herself in, deciding between what she always believed she'd have and what her heart was telling her. Nearly a decade of companionship had built up to these moments and she found herself contemplating the weight of her decision. Pulling her blanket up around her shoulders, Hermione had to choose which way to go.

Ron, with his hot temper but unwavering loyalty, was the crosswalk. It was a safe path, one she knew well and considered easy. She recognized his mannerisms, his signals that spoke loud and clear: red ears alone, embarrassed, _proceed with caution_; red ears and cheeks, upset _unsafe to walk_; brown freckles and a smile, content, _safe._

Though she noted Ron was never an _unsafe_ man; he would never hurt her physically and never truly meant to upset her. As such with any relationship, people get in rows and can say hurtful things. She wasn't innocent either.

Sinking back into her predicament, Hermione straightened the curtain, fixing the folds so they sat primly. On the other path was Draco, closed-off but in desperate need of love. He was the broken cobblestone through a forest. It was an unlit, unknown, and perhaps unsafe path, but she found herself pulled towards it despite her logic. Quiet, subtle changes in his expression that she had yet to memorize and couldn't always decipher. A quirk of an eyebrow could be a sign of annoyance or amusement, a flare of his nostrils could be hunger or anger. Hermione struggled to read him as easily as any tome she stacked on her shelves.

_How does one choose?_ she asked herself. _How does one know the truest path?_

_They use a map_ her mind supplied, with a voice sounding surprisingly like Professor Lupin.

With this thought, Hermione mapped out her life: her past accomplishments, her current standings, and her future goals all spread across a fresh parchment. It crinkled in her fingers when she lifted it, admiring the attention to detail and careful consideration to the after effects of the war on their society.

The journey to love, acceptance, and happiness was crowned with fear and uncertainty. It bore the shadows and the light, balanced the hopes and the fears, addressed the wants and the needs. It was not perfect, but neither was he, and nor she, but it was true.

There was a time for crosswalks and a time for unmarked trails. Her adolescence was riddled with both, and she found that the map of her life would call on both, though she realized they were not utilized in the same sense as the other.

Ripping the curtains back open, Hermione relished in the sun's warming beams, finally allowing it to brighten her spirits.

She had chosen her path.


End file.
